Exxonmobil Research and Engineering Company

Exxonmobil Chemical Patents Inc.

Hans Georg Korsten

Benjamin S Umansky

Ronald Dean Garton

William J Tracy, Iii

David G Woods

Ramesh X Gandhi

Pierre J Osterrieth

Brian C McClaine

Antonio O Ramos

Doron Levin

William Joseph Novak

Vijay Swarup

Charles Morris Yarbrough

Dennis Jay Davoren

Kenneth Joseph Buturla

Enrique Feliz

John T Wyatt, Jr

Dana W Nouri

Carl Stotz Katzenstein

Brian William Roberts

William Joseph Tracy

Benjamin Santiago Umansky

William J Tracy

John T Wyatt

William J Iii Tracy

Benajmin Santiago Umansky

Systems and methods are provided for detecting abnormal temperature conditions within a fixed bed reactor. In a fixed bed reactor, a hydrocarbon (or hydrocarbon-like) feedstock can be exposed to one or more types of catalyst particles at elevated temperatures and/or pressures. In addition to the one or more types of catalyst particles, a plurality of temperature-sensor structures can be included in a catalyst bed and/or a coating including one or more temperature-sensor structures can be provided on an interior wall or other interior surface in the reactor. The temperature-sensor structures can have a threshold temperature at which the temperature-sensor structure changes to allow introduction and/or release of a detectable substance.

Abnormal temperature detection for fixed bed reactors

A gas-liquid catalyzed reaction is performed by introducing at least a portion of the reactive gas into the catalyst as a cross-flow or radial-flow stream. Introducing at least a portion of the reactive gas as a radial flow stream allows the reactive gas to travel through the catalyst bed along a shorter path length. This reduces the pressure drop for the radial flow portion of the gas. The reactive gas can be introduced into the catalyst bed at various heights relative to the height of the catalyst bed.

Cross flow gas-liquid catalytic reaction systems

A structure and method are provided for adding a catalyst bed platform to an existing reactor without welding to the structural portion of the reactor walls. The structure is constructed from components that can be passed through an existing opening in a reactor. The structure allows a catalyst bed in an existing reactor to be divided into catalyst beds with a reduced length to diameter ratio.

Catalyst bed platform with center support pipe

A modular catalyst bed support can be used to increase the number of catalyst beds available in a reactor. The modular catalyst bed support can include a lattice with a plurality of lattice openings and modules inserted into the lattice openings. The modular catalyst bed support can rest on top of an underlying catalyst bed, which can reduce or eliminate the need for attachment of the modular catalyst bed support to the walls of the reactor.

Modular catalyst bed support

The invention provides a system for designing, operating, monitoring and/or diagnosing a chemical reaction, particularly a hydrotreating process, using a fixed bed catalytic reactor.

Fixed bed reactor

Method of operating a fixed bed reactor under predetermined hydraulic conditions

This invention relates to a process for the production of an alcohol, the process comprising (a) reacting an olefin and water in the presence of a catalyst under conditions sufficient to form a crude alcohol stream comprising alcohol, and a dialkyl ether; (b) separating at least a portion of the crude alcohol stream into an alcohol-containing stream and a dialkyl ether stream; (c) contacting at least a portion of the dialkyl ether stream with an ether decomposition catalyst, the ether decomposition catalyst comprising a mixed metal oxide having the following composition XYZOwhere X is at least one metal selected from Group 4 of the Periodic Table of Elements, Y is at least one metal selected from Group 3 (including the Lanthanides and Actinides) and Group 6 of the Periodic Table of Elements and Z is at least one metal selected from Groups 7, 8, and 11 of the Periodic Table of Elements; m, n, p, and q are the atomic ratios of their respective components and, when m is 1, n is from about 0.01 to about 0.75, p is from 0 to about 0.1, and q is the number of oxygen atoms necessary to satisfy the valence of the other components, to form a crude dialkyl ether decomposition stream comprising alcohol and olefin; (d) recovering at least a portion of the olefin from the crude dialkyl ether decomposition stream; and (e) recycling at least a portion of the olefin recovered in step (d) to step (a).

Process for alcohol production by selective ether decomposition

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Fairfax Station, VA, United States of America

Hans Georg Korsten